While in collage, I often would say that all I need to survive the day is Jesus and coffee and oh how many days those two would pull me through my last minute papers and long days! I think most collage students understand the importance of coffee and as a student missionary serving with St. Paul's Outreach, I also tried to show university students the importance of having a relationship with Jesus and living that out in their daily life. It was very common for me to go out for coffee with different people I was reaching out to or friends who were needing some encouragement. Coffee became a kind of common ground in which we were able to share life over. As each cup of liquid comfort releases warm goodness into the air, our souls become entangled together along with the rich aroma each slowly rising like incense. From outside in, we are warmed head to toe not only with the cup of java, but with the love of Christ if we know it or not. I truly believe if we are able to slow down while drinking our cup of coffee to pray or recognize Christ around us, we will receive much more than just a quick rush of caffeine to kick start our day.
While working in Detroit, I was able to attend a Sunday morning Bible Study at Canticle Cafe part of St. Al's Outreach Center run by the Franciscan Friars in Downtown Detroit. More than 1500 people visit the outreach each week looking for a warm meal, new clothes, medical attention, shelter, and a bit of encouragement. Throughout the week, services are provided to the needy and homeless in downtown Detroit. Having worked at the center before, I was a little surprised to see so many people here for the Bible study even though no food or clothes were being given a way. This was an opportunity for those without a home or often even a Bible were able to hear the Word of God proclaimed while having an opportunity to share the way God has been working in their lives. I was very encouraged to see around 50 people gather around the tables in this small "cafe" sharing stories of ways in which God had worked in their life. Brother Ed, who led the study, had many stories to share about people just like them who had been transformed by the love of God. This was a place in which God was able to meet His people just where they were at. Of course coffee was being served, too!
It was while sitting in Canticle Cafe laughing with two women that I realized the power God had to bring people together through coffee. For those who don't believe, coffee being served often opens up doors for conversations about Christ. And for believers, they know that any good event or conversation about God should include coffee. Why else would we have coffee and donuts after church? Anyways, I remember looking around the room at those holding their cups of coffee while others were standing in line to fill their cups up. I remember a guy at the table behind me spilling his cup of coffee and another guy quickly grabbing paper towels to clean it up. All over the floor there were coffee spills, but it didn't seem to matter because that wasn't the purpose of why they were there. Through cups of coffee, I was able to see people show generosity to one another in ways that I don't think they usually do. I know that it seems like I am making something out of nothing, but in working with lots of different people over the years I have seen the ways that coffee can often lead to a simple act of kindness which can really change a persons day or eve life.
Here's one little story that Brother Ed shares: One Saturday morning on a cold winter day, Brother Ed was distributing coats at an outreach center. They had numbers for each of the men receiving coats because they didn't have enough coats for all the guys needing one. There was one large guy only wearing a sweat shirt who came in after all the numbers had been given out. He was furious that there weren't enough coats for him to have one. He started getting into a rage and yelling how he really needed a coat. This guy was desperate and often human beings become irrational when they are in desperate situations. Brother Ed was starting to get worried, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. Another guy, number 49, came up to Brother Ed, and said, "Brother Ed, I want to give my number to this guy. He is really cold, and he needs a coat more than I do." Brother Ed told him that he wouldn't be able to get a coat if he gave his number a way, but the guy was more than willing to do so. Brother Ed then gave number 49 to the man in a rage who quietly accepted the number, chose his coat, and sat a little embarrassed along the wall. The man who gave up his chance to receive a coat walked over to the other man with a cup of coffee. Before long the two of them were sitting there roaring with laughter because they knew the same people from grade school. Before the day was over, a woman drove up with an SUV full of coats that she believed she was supposed to bring over to the outreach that day. Brother Ed called over the man who gave up his number to allow him to have his first choice of a new coat. I love when Brother Ed shares this story because it's an incredible story of generosity, small acts of kindness, God's faithfulness, and of course a common cup of coffee.
It's incredible that no matter what class, race, religion, or nationality you are in this country- a cup of coffee can be a common ground in which souls intermingle among the strong aroma of java. It helps me to see that in the different areas in which I have lived and served whether in the rich suburbs of Chicago, the collage campuses in St. Paul, or the streets of Detroit coffee is a common denominator for them all, and really we aren't as different as one may think because in God's eyes we are all the same!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Meeting Larry
I don't view myself much as a blogger. I know that people blog on a regular basis as a hobby or something, but I just want to share my experiences in Detroit and remember that things that have happened to me. It's kind of like journaling- I love to journal, but I hate to take the time to journal. This probably stems from the fact that I am not very good at taking time for myself to stop, be still, and reflect on my life. I always feel like I need to be on the go, doing something productive. This blog probably has more purpose to my life than I could begin to imagine!
Anyways, Larry. Last weekend, one of my friends from DSO (Detroit Summer Outreach-the program I did in Detroit this summer) was visiting Detroit, and we went out to my new favorite bakery/coffee shop in Detroit called Avalon International Breads. Side story: I was going around a neighborhood in Detroit dropping off fliers for a benefit we are doing for Youth Works Detroit, and I ran into Avalon. It felt like dejavu (I have always been a poor speller) because I knew that I knew the place. That's when it hit me- Avalon would come to our house this summer every Tuesday to drop off expired bread. I call Avalon my "hippie place" because most of the people there are hippies, they recycle, have compostible coffee cups, sell fair trade coffee, and use 100% organic flour. Avalon is my little get away place in the midst of craziness of life and ministry. After working there Tuesday morning, I decided it was my goal to befriend two people that regularly go to Avalon. But this is just the side story... back to Larry.
Avalon was really packed last Saturday, so Marie and I went outside to have our coffee and breakfast. There was a homeless man outside who was pretty boisterous, and he would create music with his drum sticks, a garbage can, and newspaper stand. It made me chuckle a little bit because it was your "typical inner city" scenario. While we were talking, Marie received a phone call and upon answering it, this homeless man stopped playing his "drums" so that it wouldn't be too loud for her. After hanging up, he approached us and asked us for money. I told him that I didn't give out money.
While being in Detroit, I have learned that you just answer the question they ask you. You don't need to offer food or something else out of guilt. It can sometimes be offensive to offer something else that they didn't ask for. It's balance between acknowledging people with respect, but also not getting bogged down with requests. It's easy to just pass them by, but they are people created in the image and likeness of God. Sometimes they don't want food, they just want money, so I have found it's better to say I don't give money.
But Larry was a perfect example of what I hope for when I talk with somebody who is homeless asking for money. He said, "Well, it would be really nice to just have one of those" (pointing to Marie's breakfast sandwich). Marie went inside to buy the sandwich while I stayed outside talking with Larry. I usually ask people if they are originally from Detroit. Larry wasn't. I don't remember where he was from, somewhere down south I believe, but he had traveled all over the country. One of his favorite places was California. He told me about walking along the coast line for hundreds of miles. It gave him time to think and contemplate who he was as a person. He also told me about a time when he was younger that he spent at a monastery. We ended up talking about God and who we are in relationship to God. When Marie came back out, the three of us held hands and prayed. It was such a beautiful testimony more to the people who were looking on at my "hippie get way place." It was also fun to see Larry light up when Marie got him an extra goodie. He didn't expect it at all. It was definitely worth giving the extra bit to see his joy and gratitude.
I am excited for the next time I am at Avalon and run into Larry. He's a kind of person that I want to talk to and learn from. I have been reflecting a lot about how everyone has a story, and I want to start asking and listening for people's stories and testimonies. The world truly is a classroom with people like Larry as my teachers, and I NEVER want to stop learning!
Anyways, Larry. Last weekend, one of my friends from DSO (Detroit Summer Outreach-the program I did in Detroit this summer) was visiting Detroit, and we went out to my new favorite bakery/coffee shop in Detroit called Avalon International Breads. Side story: I was going around a neighborhood in Detroit dropping off fliers for a benefit we are doing for Youth Works Detroit, and I ran into Avalon. It felt like dejavu (I have always been a poor speller) because I knew that I knew the place. That's when it hit me- Avalon would come to our house this summer every Tuesday to drop off expired bread. I call Avalon my "hippie place" because most of the people there are hippies, they recycle, have compostible coffee cups, sell fair trade coffee, and use 100% organic flour. Avalon is my little get away place in the midst of craziness of life and ministry. After working there Tuesday morning, I decided it was my goal to befriend two people that regularly go to Avalon. But this is just the side story... back to Larry.
Avalon was really packed last Saturday, so Marie and I went outside to have our coffee and breakfast. There was a homeless man outside who was pretty boisterous, and he would create music with his drum sticks, a garbage can, and newspaper stand. It made me chuckle a little bit because it was your "typical inner city" scenario. While we were talking, Marie received a phone call and upon answering it, this homeless man stopped playing his "drums" so that it wouldn't be too loud for her. After hanging up, he approached us and asked us for money. I told him that I didn't give out money.
While being in Detroit, I have learned that you just answer the question they ask you. You don't need to offer food or something else out of guilt. It can sometimes be offensive to offer something else that they didn't ask for. It's balance between acknowledging people with respect, but also not getting bogged down with requests. It's easy to just pass them by, but they are people created in the image and likeness of God. Sometimes they don't want food, they just want money, so I have found it's better to say I don't give money.
But Larry was a perfect example of what I hope for when I talk with somebody who is homeless asking for money. He said, "Well, it would be really nice to just have one of those" (pointing to Marie's breakfast sandwich). Marie went inside to buy the sandwich while I stayed outside talking with Larry. I usually ask people if they are originally from Detroit. Larry wasn't. I don't remember where he was from, somewhere down south I believe, but he had traveled all over the country. One of his favorite places was California. He told me about walking along the coast line for hundreds of miles. It gave him time to think and contemplate who he was as a person. He also told me about a time when he was younger that he spent at a monastery. We ended up talking about God and who we are in relationship to God. When Marie came back out, the three of us held hands and prayed. It was such a beautiful testimony more to the people who were looking on at my "hippie get way place." It was also fun to see Larry light up when Marie got him an extra goodie. He didn't expect it at all. It was definitely worth giving the extra bit to see his joy and gratitude.
I am excited for the next time I am at Avalon and run into Larry. He's a kind of person that I want to talk to and learn from. I have been reflecting a lot about how everyone has a story, and I want to start asking and listening for people's stories and testimonies. The world truly is a classroom with people like Larry as my teachers, and I NEVER want to stop learning!
Welcome Joseph Peregrin!
So, I wrote out this long blog about last Sunday when I played Miss Mom while the new baby was delivered. Unfortunately my computer was being ridiculous, and it got deleted. Now "Miss Mom," the story of how I played Mom last Sunday while the woman I live with went to the hospital to deliver a baby, is on my list of things I need to blog about. Until then, you will be happy to know that Joseph Peregrin was born on Sunday September 26 at 9:30 PM. It is an incredible gift and blessing to live with a new infant, and it surely keeps our lives busy here at home. More stories to come soon about Joseph, and my new "Mom" duties!
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